Southeast men pack optimism for Nashville trip

Why not Southeast Missouri State?

That's exactly what the Redhawks are thinking heading into today's Ohio Valley Conference tournament semifinals in Nashville, Tenn., as they chase the program's second NCAA Division I tournament berth.

Southeast (15-13), the No. 6 seed, plays second-seeded Eastern Kentucky (20-8) at 8 p.m. at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tenn.

A victory would send the Redhawks into Saturday's 3 p.m. championship game, which will be televised by ESPN2.

"The whole conference has been a tossup this year," said senior forward Dainmon Gonner, the OVC's leading scorer. "We have as good a chance as anybody."

Added senior guard Mike Nelke: "We've said all year that if we can get to Nashville, we can win it all. We know it's going to be tough, but the league was so wide open this year, we've got as good a chance as anybody."

Southeast is making its first tournament semifinal appearance since the 1999-2000 season, when the Redhawks captured their only title and earned their lone NCAA Division I tournament berth.

"It's great to get back here. I'm really happy for the five seniors who haven't had a chance to experience this, and this would have been their last chance," Southeast coach Gary Garner said. "The conference was so balanced this year; I definitely think any of the four teams left can win it."

Garner is particularly pleased because of all the adversity Southeast has faced, not only this year with a myriad of injuries to key players and a slow OVC start, but also with the last three struggling seasons that featured a combined 28-57 record.

"It's really satisfying," Garner said. "We've been down the last few years. Last year we thought we could make a run at it, and we lost so many close games.

"Then this year we had all the injuries, and we start 1-4 in the conference, losing more close games. For us to get to Nashville is really gratifying. We've overcome a lot of adversity."

Garner knows Southeast will have its hands full with an EKU team that tied for second in the OVC's regular season and beat the Redhawks 83-72 on Feb. 17 in Richmond, Ky., in the only meeting between the squads.

That contest was much closer than the final score indicates -- Southeast led 65-61 midway through the second half before EKU took control -- but the Redhawks had no answer for the Colonels' sizzling offense that produced 53-percent shooting.

Junior guard Matt Witt leads a balanced EKU attack with 14.3 points per game, while senior forward Michael Haney averages 13.7 points and shoots a torrid 62.7 percent. Haney burned Southeast in the earlier meeting with 24 points on 10-for-14 accuracy.

"They're really a good team. They have all the ingredients," Garner said. "They played very well the last time against us. It will be a tough game, but if we play well, we'll have a shot to win."

Said senior guard Derek Winans, "The last three years have been tough, but this makes up for it. It's great to finally get to Nashville. We know Eastern Kentucky will be tough, but we feel like we can win the tournament."